Gwen Stefani’s New Album: Opening Up & Being Vulnerable Made This Her Best Work Yet

Consider me officially blown away by Gwen Stefani’s new album, ‘This Is What The Truth Feels Like.’ We all knew she was going to reveal ALL on this record, but Gwen let us into her life more than I could ever imagine, and it was the perfect move — I truly think this might be her best work yet!

We knew the shell of Gwen Stefani’s story before the release of her new album on March 18: A divorce from Gavin Rossdale after alleged cheating, followed by an unexpected romance with Blake Shelton, 39, that knocked her off her feet. But that summary is nothing compared to what Gwen’s given us on This Is What The Truth Feels Like! I’m totally obsessed already…and you should be, too!

This record is the perfect combination of honesty and emotion, and gives us so much insight into what Gwen has gone through. I think it was SO brave of her to put it all out here like this, and I just want to listen to this album on repeat all day long. Here’s a breakdown of each track:

This song is clearly another ode to Blake, but it’s also a total slam at all her past lovers. The message is clear: I’ve experienced a lot in my life, but even after all that, you’re still my favorite. I love how the jab at Gavin and all her other exes is so subtly mixed in there with another gushing song about Blake!

3. “Where Would I Be?”

This track is the perfect explanation of the moment Blake “saved” Gwen from the heartache she was feeling after the divorce last August. The song is slightly dirty, too (“I need some water so water me”), which is an interesting look into what Gwen and Blake’s relationship is like behind closed doors. Oh-la-la!

4. “Make Me Like You”

Another Blake-centric track and the same one she debuted before filming a live music video at the Grammys for it! The lyrics are slightly sarcastic, asking a guy why he had to go and make her feel all these emotions she wasn’t expecting, and no matter how many times I listen to it it’s always stuck in my head for hours afterward.

5. “Truth”

This is probably my favorite song on the album — she literally thanks Blake for “saving” her in the lyrics, and it’s too cute. Gwen sings about being nervous and embarrassed to get in a new relationship because she didn’t want everyone saying she was just “rebounding,” and that emotion is so honest and real, it totally gives me all the feels. And this line is everything: “Maybe I deserve this boy after all that I’ve been through.” You totally do, Gwen!

6. “Used To Love You”

It doesn’t get more emotional than this: The song Gwen wrote about how much Gavin hurt her in their marriage and realizing how much time she wasted loving him and committing to a relationship when he wasn’t doing the same. It’s not easy to pour feelings like this out for everyone to hear and Gwen definitely didn’t hold back.

7. “Send Me A Picture”

Ooooh, this is another kind of naughty track that is all about her and Blake’s relationship when they’re apart…and how she wants him to send her a picture so she can see him again! It’s a totally relatable song: We all know what it’s like to miss a significant other so badly, and this really shows just how normal Blake and Gwen’s romance is.

8. “Red Flag”

Gavin is totally CALLED OUT on this one! The sound is reminiscent of some of Gwen’s funky, older stuff — it’s almost like a rap! On the track, she sings about how she should’ve seen all the signs she missed while married to her ex. It’s totally honest, too, because Gwen admits to turning a blind eye in her 13-year marriage, clearly pointing out that she knew things weren’t working for quite some time before she filed for divorce.

9. “Asking 4 It”

Fetty Wap is featured on this song and it’s a beyond amazing collaboration! It’s another track about how anxious and nervous she was when Blake first showed interest in her — “Are you sure you wanna love me? You’re asking for it,” she warns him in the lyrics. We didn’t know before this album came out just how much Blake pursued Gwen and made her truly feel safe, but this definitely gets that point across.

10. “Naughty”

This one is basically Gwen’s revelation that she knew Gavin cheated on her! “Rip up the receipts, but somehow it always finds its way right back to me,” she sings, with the “Naughty” in the title referring to her ex being ‘naughty’ for “hitting it.” Doesn’t get more obvious than that, does it?! I love how Gwen got SO real about the devastating situation she was put in without blatantly saying what went down!

11. “Me Without You”

It’s obvious from the other songs on this record that Gavin REALLY hurt Gwen, but this song is her anthem fighting back. “Now I’m me without you and things are about to get real good,” she sings. “Watch me breathe without you, and things about to get real good. You faded so fast, I can hardly see you when I look back.” I’m SO glad she put a song like this on the record: Gavin, she is SO much better without you!

12. “Rare”

This is a perfect slow song to close out the album, with Gwen singing Blake’s praises throughout the WHOLE thing, and also subtly dissing his ex, Miranda Lambert, by calling her out as “dumb” and “stupid” for letting the country singer go. “I’ve been hurt so bad, I get nervous you won’t love me back,” she belts on the track, summing up just what she’s said in several other songs.

What do you think of Gwen’s new album, HollywoodLifers? Do you think it’s her best work yet?